Hey Pally, you ready to go to College with me today?!

Heck ya I am Chad!

Wassup my dudes, today we are going to learn about Photosynthesis and Cellular Respiration.

Lets start off with Photosynthesis. There are two parts to this, the light dependent and the light independent, AKA the Calvin Cycle.

Balanced Equation

6CO2+6H2O=C6H12O6+6O2

The light dependent reactions take place in the Chloroplast, more specifically the thylakoid membrane. It makes ATP and NADPH from from water. It contains two Photosystems, Photosystem 1 and Photosystem 2, and an ETC that makes ATP.

The light independent reaction is called the Calvin Cycle. It takes place in the chloroplast and doesn't need light. During the Calvin Cycle 6CO2 and compounds from the earlier step make one molecule of glucose(C6H12O6)

Wow. That seems really simple. So the chemicals just magically make Glucose and ATP?

Well not really. You see there is this thing called the ETC, electron transport chain, that helps make ATP. Not only does a Hydrogen ion carry electrons to and from places but it helps turn a little thing called ATP synthase that bonds a phosphate group to ADP to make ATP.

To go more in depth with Hydrogen ions they are called electron carriers. When they attach to a molecule such as NADP to make NADPH they store electrons in the bond that connects them.

That's all there is to Photosynthesis?

Yep, but Cellular Respiration is way more fun because instead of making glucose it breaks glucose down. Here's the equation

C6H12O6+6O2= 6CO2+6H2O+Energy

The first stage of the aerobic process, meaning it needs oxygen, is called Glycolysis and it takes place in the cells Cytoplasm. Glycolysis breaks glucose into pyruvic acid

During glycolosis, 2 ATP and glucose make 4 ATP, 2 pyruvic acid and 2 NADH. The NADH is made by bonding a hydrogen ion from glucose to NAD making NAD an electron carrier.